TRADER TOM OF THE CHINA SEAS

Harry Lauter and Aline Towne

TRADER TOM OF THE CHINA SEAS (12 chapter Republic serial/1954). Produced and directed by Franklin Adreon. Colorized.  

Tom Rogers (Harry Lauter of The Louisiana Hussy) is a trader in Asian territories who is willingly signed up by Major Conroy (Robert Shayne of The Neanderthal Man) to help ferret out a gang that is smuggling out weapons, including light bulbs containing a poison gas, to foreign agents who are arming rebel natives so as to turn their country into a satellite. Vivian Wells (Aline Towne of Radar Men from the Moon) is the feisty daughter of a doctor who was targeted by evil forces, and Mr. Barent (Lyle Talbot), is the representative of his country's forces and the chief architect behind Trader Tom's troubles. Victor Sen Yung is Wang, a friendly associate of Rogers. 

Lauter and Towne with Lyle Talbot

Barent's helpmates include the nasty Kurt Daley (Fred Graham of The Giant Gila Monster), the mute Gursan (an unrecognizable Tom Steele), the psychotic Gorth (Richard Alexander), the rebel leader (Richard Reeves), and others. Tom gets some help from Kahn (Jan Arvan), who is fighting off the rebel forces in his country. Tom and Vivian have to deal with landslides, being trapped on a sinking freighter, being trapped underwater with a cut air hose, a train collision, angry rebels with big knives, and so on. Tom thinks nothing of burning these would-be killers to death, and nearly falls off a cliff into the fire in chapter seven. In chapter six a killer is placed inside a mailbag so he can take care of the engineer. 

Vivian and Tom escape from one doom only to face another

A nice aspect of the serial is that Vivian is depicted as being just as brave, plucky, and competent as Tom. She is no mere decoration, but an important player in the story. Lyle Talbot gives his usual professional but utterly bland portrayal, as he usually did in these serials. Fred Graham, on the other hand, emerges as a very credible and distinctly unpleasant bad guy. Trader Tom of the China Seas is a late Republic serial, one that is much more down to earth than the studio's sci-fi and superhero cliffhangers. For many, that may be the serial's weakness, but it has to be said that Trader Tom is fast-paced and full of action, with plenty of interesting death-traps, and a charismatic lead performance by Lauter. 

Verdict: Decent, often exciting serial if perhaps not as much fun as others. **3/4. 

THE INVISIBLE MONSTER -- IN COLOR!

Richard Webb

THE INVISIBLE MONSTER (12-chapter Republic serial/1950). Director: Fred C. Brannon. 

A fellow who calls himself The Phantom Ruler (Stanley Price) has developed a formula which makes things invisible when they are coated with it. This includes the Ruler's cloak, which makes him invisible as long as he stays within a light beam generated by his special machine. His immediate goal is to get the materials for this formula, but his ultimate plan is to gather an army of invisible soldiers to help him take over the whole country. Determined to stop him are two insurance investigators (!), Lane Carson (Richard Webb of Hillbillies in a Haunted House) and plucky Carol Richards (Aline Towne of Radar Men from the Moon). Meanwhile the evil Burton (Lane Bradford of Zombies of the Stratosphere) and his associates are out to stymie them at every turn. 

Stanley Price as the Phantom Ruler

The Invisible Monster recycles some cliffhangers but is still a snappy, fast-paced and entertaining serial. Square-jawed Webb makes an effective hero and pretty Towne is his more-than-competent companion. As the main villain, Price doesn't chew the scenery and Bradford, as usual, makes a cold, non-nonsense sociopathic assistant. Others in the cast include Tom Steele as a henchman, Marshall Reed as a cop, as well as Roy Gordon as a doctor and John Hamilton as one of the foreigners forced to work for the Phantom Ruler (in positions he secures for them for his own nefarious purposes). Highlights  of the serial include Carol nearly being flattened by a heavy vault door; Lane tied up in a handcar that is packed with explosives and sent hurtling towards a train; Carol and Lane pursued by a minecart full of coal oil that has been set on fire; and others. The fight scenes are lively and well-staged. 

Verdict: Fast-paced fun! ***. 

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON

Commando Cody takes to the air!

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (12-chapter Republic serial/1952). Director: Fred C. Brannon. Colorized. 

With their air running out and facing extinction, aliens on the moon, led by Retik (Roy Barcroft), decide to wipe out earth and take it over. To do this they send one man -- that's right, one man -- Krog (Peter Brocco) to our planet, where he enlists the aid of criminals such as Graber (Clayton Moore of The Lone Ranger), to commit acts of sabotage (which in retrospect are kind of pointless without an army to back it up -- however the Radar Men do have a deadly ray weapon).

Bakewell, Wallace, Towne

Up against the moon menace are Commando Cody (George Wallace) who flies through the air with his jet pack, and his associates Ted (William Bakewell) and plucky, brave Joan (Aline Towne), as well as an associate they report to, Henderson (Don Walters). For twelve chapters our intrepid trio try to get material and weapons from the Radar Men (flying to the moon in their own ship on two occasions), while Graber and his buddies try to wipe them out and destroy their rocket. The good guys face explosives, poison gas, ray guns demolishing their planes, automobiles going over cliffs, a flow of molten rock in a moon cavern, and so on in some exciting cliffhangers. While Radar Men from the Moon may not be an outstanding serial, it is nevertheless fast-paced, silly fun with a more than competent cast. Clayton Moore would eventually graduate from villain roles to serial hero. Footage from previous Republic serials, especially King of the Rocket Men,  is sprinkled liberally throughout this cliffhanger.  

Verdict: Whatever its flaws, this is a fun serial. ***. 

THE INVISIBLE MONSTER

Richard Webb

THE INVISIBLE MONSTER (12 chapter Republic serial/1950). Director: Fred C. Brannon.

A man who calls himself the Phantom Ruler (Stanley Price) is determined to take over the nation with an invisible army. He already wears a black cloak which makes him disappear under a certain kind of light. Now he has enlisted the often unwilling aid of illegal immigrants who work in various disciplines. PR and his thuggish helpmates -- who are almost constantly outwitted by handsome insurance agent Lane Carson (Richard Webb) -- try various means to get money and chemicals. Along the way Lane and his pretty assistant Carol (Aline Towne of Radar Men from the Moon) face danger at every turn. 

Stanley Price and Douglas Evans

There is no suspense over the identity of the Phantom Ruler because he is unmasked in chapter one, although his actual name or occupation is never revealed. However, the serial itself does work up some suspense over how Lane and Carol will finally capture the elusive mastermind. The couple are nearly immolated by a stream of gasoline and a fiery truck explosion in chapter two, and are trapped by a river of fire in a mine in chapter five. In chapter seven Lane is tied to a railroad hand-car loaded with explosives and sent hurtling toward an express train as Carol tries to prevent the collision with her automobile. In chapter eight Lane manages to free himself from a pit below a trapdoor when the house above is set on fire. 

Richard Webb takes aim

Lane has a condescending attitude when he first finds out that a woman is to be his partner. "Isn't this an unusual job for a woman?" he sniffs. However, he is eventually won over by Carol's courage and aptitude. Webb [Captain Midnight] makes the perfect serial hero, stalwart, strong, square-jawed, and both "dreamy" and heroic in bearing and appearance. Towne is also capable as a serial leading lady, although she is less colorful than others. Price underplays his role of despicable monster and manages to be convincing if unexciting. Lane Bradford [Zombies of the Stratosphere] is sneeringly effective as the chief thug in the Phantom Ruler's employ. John Crawford is his helpmate, and the "foreigners" forced to help them include John Hamilton, Douglas Evans [The Crimson Key], Dale Van Sickel and George Meeker. Tom Steele and Marshall Reed, both of whom were in very many serials, also make appearances on opposite sides. Stanley Wilson's excellent score expertly compliments the action -- and there is plenty of it in this exciting serial. 

Verdict: Despite the absence of an unknown archenemy and flying, costumed hero, this is still a fun cliffhanger serial. ***. 

ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE

Judd Holdren and Leonard Nimoy

ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE (12 chapter Republic serial/1952.) Director: Fred C. Brannon. 

Marex (Lane Bradford) has come from the dying planet Mars to plant bombs that will knock earth out of its orbit so that Mars can take its place. Marex has enlisted the help of two earth thugs -- Roth (John Crawford) and Shane (Ray Boyle) -- who somehow think it's not only okay that everyone on earth but them will die, but that they will spend the rest of their days on Mars. Marex also has a Martian helpmate on earth named Narab, who is played by a 21-year-old Leonard Nimoy, and there is a traitorous earth scientist named Dr. Harding (Stanley Waxman), who is helping him build a hydrogen bomb. Narab has a conscience, and Nimoy displays some ability in his unusual role. 

Judd Holdren

Battling Marex and his boys are Larry Martin (Judd Holdren), who wears the rocket man outfit from King of the Rocket Men, and his associates Bob Wilson (Wilson Wood), and Sue Davis (Aline Towne), as well as their rocketship pilot, Dick (Gayle Kellogg). Chapter four has a bunch of bad cowboys trying to get away with some uranium for Marex, while a large metal robot robs a bank in chapter five -- there are subsequent lively scenes with the robot. The following chapter has an underwater knife fight, and in one of the best cliffhangers Sue is pulled off a dock and into deep water when a rope with an anchor attached is wound around her ankle in chapter seven. Roy Barcroft and Tom Steele have smaller roles. 

Verdict: Zombies of the Stratosphere is another fun, fast-paced Republic serial. ***. 

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON

Commando Cody takes flight!

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (12 chapter Republic serial/1952). Director: Fred. C. Brannon. 

In the first appearance of "a new character," Commando Cody (George Wallace) -- actually a new version of the Rocket Man from King of the Rocket Men -- our hero uses his flying jet pack to take on moon men whose atmosphere is deteriorating and want to take over Mother Earth in a mass migration. The chief moon man is Retik (Roy Barcroft) and his chief confederate on earth is Krog (Peter Brocco). As incredible as it may seem -- but remember this is a serial -- the advance force to take over an entire planet with billions of inhabitants consists of one moon man and two -- count 'em -- two American gangsters named Graber (Clayton Moore of Lone Ranger fame) and Daly (Robert R. Stephenson). As for Cody, he also has two assistants: Ted (William Bakewell of All Quiet on the Western Front); and Joan (Aline Towne). More than once Cody flies to the moon in his rocket ship, once to reconnoiter and another time to get the Lunarium that the moon men use in their ray guns. 

Bakewell, Wallace, Towne

George Wallace is fine as Cody; in addition to a lot of film work Wallace was Mary Martin's leading man in the Broadway musical Jennie. The process work that shows Cody taking to the air is effective all these years later, and Stanley Wilson's score is consistently exciting. Our hero is trapped by molten lava at one point, and there is at least one exciting mid-air rescue. Some of the cliffhangers are recycled from King of the Rocket Men but used in different circumstances. 

Verdict: Snappy, fast-paced, and lots of fun. ***.